Sunday, April 10, 2011

Mosquitoes

As JB would say, "We've all got 'em. None of us want 'em."

Never before have I lived in a place where the mosquitoes preferred the indoors. In Florida, you might be attacked by swarms of them when you stayed outside for more than 30 seconds, but you could stay safely inside all day and not see a mosquito. Any you did see were there through your own mismanagement of screens, doors, and other barriers to the exterior.

Here, the opposite is true. Outside, you might get pestered by the occasional bite, but if you plan on spending extended periods of time in your office or bedroom, you should probably apply some "Off". It's especially disturbing when the loudness of the mosquitoes buzzing your ear wakes you up at night. And they're fast. HB, who has the reflexes of a praying mantis, can still only manage to kill them about one out of every five attempts.

Some of the regular rules do apply. The mosquitoes here, like those elsewhere, are still deterred by breezes more than a few miles per hour. Leaving the ceiling fan on at least "medium" setting at night definitely helps create a buzz-free night. But the conventional wisdom regarding eliminating sources of standing water is apparently irrelevant, as the mosquitoes here seem to prefer to breed in piles of discarded paper. Both HB and I have noted that mosquitoes are most populous when our office trashcans are full.

Still, wicked-fast indoor mosquitoes are not a terribly steep price to pay for living in a place like this.

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About Me

Upon moving to the British Virgin Islands in August of 2010, I could have used some help from others who had been through the process before me. Finding a dearth of blogs on the subject, I started this one.
Questions or concerns? E-mail me at thebvis@gmail.com